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Uche Amaechi

BYOD - Worst Idea of the 21st Century? : Stager-to-Go - 7 views

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    Uche, you keep posting stuff I have a problem with- OK I understand that BYOD policies may not be so great but I really believe that familes should shoulder some of the costs for hardware since degredation is such a problem. The schools can have agreements with vendors to provide certain laptops or tablets for a certain price point and they can design their systems to support these items. Parents are expected to purchase backpacks, binders, and school supplies. When parents can't provide these back-to-school supplies, schools cover it. The same should be for computers. Speaking as a middle class parent (refer to above article) I believe this is an important investment in our schools so that they can focus on hardware support and software implementation/ integration.
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    @Allison and Uche - I am torn. While I initially thought BYOD was a good idea so that schools would have to stop "blaming" their fiscal woes on their inability to integrate emerging technologies into the curriculum, I now have some appreciation with points from this article - especially around "false equivalences" and "enshrining inequities" in light of my own children's "bring your own electronic device" day that took place two weeks ago. As a school wide reward for meeting their Accelerated Reading goal, all students were told they could bring an electronic device to school to "play" with on Friday afternoon. This prompted my kids to call me (Skype) on Thursday night and ask me if I could buy them a DS or a SmartPhone that NIGHT so that they could bring either of those devices to school for the celebration. Now mind you, my kids have access to lap tops, iPad, Smart Phones, Wii games, GameBoy, iPods, Flip camera, digital camera, etc - albeit not their OWN - but still access to them for use (when Mom and Dad are not using them). But apparently, of the devices left that Mom and Dad weren't using, none of them were "cool" enough for this event. That got me wondering if BYOD might have the same effect on our learners making those who don't have the latest and greatest feel bad or less adequate then their friends or classmates who could bring something they deemed as "better?" Allison, your point seems to be that requiring parents to cover the expense of a digital device as a requirement for school is not a bad idea, but I think you are referring to expecting the SAME device to be purchased and used, not myriad devices with various capabilities, features and functions - am I understanding you correctly? And if we did try to mandate parental supply of digital devices, would we have a different kind of fight on our hands because, as consumers, parents might have their own biases around what they deem is the best device of all (not just PC vs MAC or iOS vs Android, but sma
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    I still believe that a system properly designed could mitigate some of your concerns. In reality, schools can not support any device that a student brings in. They are capable of supporting a certain number and if they build relationships with the vendors to sell those devices that the school is capable of supporting then families will be aware that the school will offer the best deal on the items that are compatible. Every year the school recommends items for back to school supplies. If the laptop could replace all of the binders it might be worth it. There are many factors to consider but the biggest obstacle is that schools maintain such old equipment because of their budget woes. Even when we can purchase the latest and greatest software, the computers can't run it.
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    What a great debate you guys are having! One point worth considering is that typically the parents are responsible for purchasing the supplies, while the school is responsible for providing the content (textbooks, workbooks, handouts, worksheets, videos, etc). In the near future these devices may also be the primary sources of content, replacing textbooks altogether. I would hope perhaps funding for textbooks could be transferred to funding for these devices. I would also hope that the price of these devices drops significantly (is the $35 tablet in our future?). Then of course the question of who pays is less important. In my job producing educational video for publishing companies, I spend way too much time dealing with various formats and compatibility problems with browsers, so I'd love to see a future where this becomes more standardized.
Brandon Pousley

Middle School Moment | Dropout Nation | FRONTLINE | PBS - 0 views

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    A case-study on how one school is using data to help prevent dropouts in middle school.
Bharat Battu

Reflex : Math fact fluency - the next generation. - 3 views

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    The school I am interning at (The Carroll School) is using this in their middle school math classes. Small class sizes typically (4-8 kids /  class), and it's a 1:1 school where every child has a laptop. But - it's working well for designated independent work time in the math classes I've observed- where each kid is asked to play the game for 15 minutes on their own. Kids have their own profiles- and there are several different math mini games they can play, each game focusing on different math skills. Each mini game involves different game mechanics and art styles. But all games involve using arithmetic skills and math concepts to solve problems that progress them in the game. Good performance gives the kids in-game credits/money that they can use to customize their in-gam avatar. 
amy hoffmaster

Online Project Receives $2.5 Million Grant To Aid Middle School Science -- THE Journal - 0 views

  • the team plans to use the grant money to develop 35 new simulations specifically geared to middle school physical science education. The existing library of simulations targets concepts and applications generally used in high school- and college-level physics courses.
  • The PhET simulations allow us to conduct experiments, with students at the helm, that we wouldn't otherwise be able to stage or model in the classroom."
Adrian Melia

Technological advances at Norwell Middle School - Norwell, Massachusetts - Norwell Mariner - 0 views

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    Follow up to our class design challenge, this middle school in Norwell recently rolled out iPads to all of its students.
Maung Nyeu

Balancing Technology in Our Schools | The Cornell Daily Sun - 1 views

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    There were two recent articles in NYTimes on use of technology with opposing view. While one article proposes replacing textbooks with laptops, the other school "doesn't compute." This article takes a middle path, a balanced used of technology in our schools. The author argues that computer cannot replace books, technology cannot replace a teacher, writing, or discussion. Technology is a tool to enrich the material and agument a curriculum.
Xavier Rozas

1337arts...website for homemade space exploration - 0 views

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    Kids send camera 93,000 ft into atmosphere (based on linear discent rate.) "Want to inspire middle school and high school students to launch things into space."
Chris Johnson

Creative Thinking (Lesson Plans for Copyright etc) - 0 views

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    This is a site created by Northern Kentucky University. It contains lesson plans and videos for teachers to use to teach about plagiarism, copyright, and fair use. Target audience is middle school and high school classrooms.
Yang Jiang

Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • Researchers say the lure of these technologies, while it affects adults too, is particularly powerful for young people. The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention.
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    The distraction of technology, especially mobile phone and computer, has always been a concern to us. When I was in middle school, few students owned cellphones or laptops. So we have no chance to be immersed in the virtual world. But apparently we couldn't enjoy the benefits of the latest technology either at that time. If I were able to choose, I would definitely choose the colorful school life which is enriched by the various technologies.
Chris Dede

National STEM Video Game Challenge - 4 views

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    Big money for games that help young children learn STEM
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    Maybe you or someone could comment on what this has in common with the Tesla project (or what is different). Would love to hear more. As a future middle school teacher, this inspires me. The contest geared toward middle school age validates my conviction that middle schoolers can and should be learning technology ... yes, even in BPS there's got to be a way.
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    TESLA is studying both how we can make math education more effective and what types of motivational inductions appeal to various types of students in grades 5-9. The emphasis in engagement is on building intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy in math, rather than using external motivation to "sugar-coat" math as yucky, but necessary. The intrinsic/extrinsic distinction is often ignored by game designers,and as a result kids who are momentarily engaged in STEM can actually be demotivated longer term. TESLA is trying to established a more nuanced view of how to build this type of game.
Brandon Pousley

Verizon Foundation Survey on Middle School Students' Use of Mobile Technology - 1 views

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    Many students are interested in STEM (suprisingly high) and also use their mobile devices to complete homework, but unfortunately not nearly as many in school (6%). It also seems that mobile device usage in school strongly correlates with those who are also interested in STEM fields.
Douglas Harsch

NYC Schools Gap App Challenge - 0 views

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    The NYC Department of Education is challenging software developers to submit apps and games that enhance teaching, learning, and engagement for NYC middle schools. I thought this might interest folks working on app or startup ideas.
Nick Siewert

City Gives A's or B's to 97% of Elementary and Middle Schools - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    One example of the perils of standardized testing
Jason Yamashiro

100 iPad Apps Perfect For Middle School | The Committed Sardine - 0 views

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    As mentioned in previous posts- there are a ton of apps out there. It is nice to find curated lists, even if they are a little out of date.
Mirza Ramic

Boss Level: Collaborative Student-Led Learning at Quest to Learn | Edutopia - 0 views

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    'Quest to Learn' is a New York City public middle and high school, supporting collaborative student-led learning: "Quest to Learn has used research in game-based learning to create a rigorous and engaging collaborative learning space where students feel safe taking risks and using their successes and failures to create and apply new knowledge." "Nurturing social and emotional learning (SEL) and 21st century skills like inventiveness, risk taking and collaboration."
Jennifer Hern

Alice.org - 0 views

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    Free 3D programming originally intended to help peak middle school girls' interest in computer programming. Eerily addictive. I spend all last night creating my own park.
Cameron Paterson

Flatclassroom Project - 0 views

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    The Flat Classroom Project is a global Hands-on working together project for middle and senior high school students. The Project uses Web 2.0 tools to make communication and interaction between students and teachers from all participating classrooms easier. The topics studied and discussed are real-world scenarios based on 'The World is Flat' by Thomas Friedman.
Katherine Tarulli

Study Shows the Effectiveness of Conceptual Learning in Math among Middle School Students - 1 views

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    This article details the findings of a recent study of 6th, 7th and 8th graders in Arizona that found that the students that used a new math and science curriculum called Adaptive Curriculum scored higher on post-tests and assessments than students with the traditional curriculum. The new treatment teaches conceptual understanding of math through content and technology, and emphasizes real-world, informal applications of math and science. 
Simon Rodberg

"Computers Bring Real World into 1980s Classrooms" - 0 views

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    From the Orlando Sentinel, 1985: Although they have not solved how to keep students interested in certain subjects, computers are proving to be highly acceptable motivational tools in all grades at Seminole County schools. Unlike video games that provide only entertainment, computers in the classroom are used as a teaching resource to reinforce development skills for elementary and middle school students and for those with learning deficiencies....
Chris McEnroe

Technology in Schools Faces Questions on Value - NYTimes.com - 3 views

    • Chris McEnroe
       
      Some of the thinking articulated in this article captures the gridlock of public conversation around the issue of technology in the classroom. I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a colleague in which he was telling me about the many interesting ways he uses powerpoint for instruction. I asked him he ever had his students use powerpoint and he scoffed, "Powerpoint for student presenations is a Middle School right of passage. Please. They're terrible." I told him that if he didn't think powerpoint was a useful means of communication than he wouldn't use it. The fact is we don't teach kids how to use powerpoint well and so they don't use it well. The argument about tech in Ed is much the same. Sometimes when I hear or read about these discussions I think of someone who has an F-14 in his front yard complaing that it is terrible for hanging laundry on. The promise of teaching well in a 21st century classroom focuses on cultivating different skills and more dynamic learning than standardized tests seek to quantify.
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